So, your acquaintance’s personality test says they’re type C and you’re wondering how to deal with type C personalities? Are you having serious difficulties in dealing with them? Or, do you just want to avoid some serious landmines?

Well, good job finding this think-piece because you’ll know everything you need to get the task done. You can deal with them. And don’t worry, it’s not rocket science. Though they’re a bit different, you can easily deal with them if you follow the necessary steps.

C’mon, let’s not waste any time and get down to it…

How to deal with type C personalities?

People often feel type Cs are rude and being introverted is actually an excuse. Some get annoyed by their perfectionism… while others feel bad that they’re prone to get used by opportunists.

Well, if you know a type C person in your personal, professional, or social life, you can deal with them and help them get along with some small steps.

So, if you’re ready to help them relax or make yourself comfortable around them, dive in…

1. Avoid scaring them

People with type C personality traits are extreme pessimists. They’re always worried about something or the other going wrong in their tasks or life. This is the main reason behind their detail-oriented nature.

They make all of their decisions based on facts and evidence. They’re always afraid that they’ll face the consequences of making wrong decisions. They neither want to be criticized nor lose their streak of consistent performance.

So, make sure you don’t agitate them with negative thoughts. It can harm their confidence which will make them feel extremely conscious and afraid of being questioned. This can impact their performance in personal, academic, and professional life.

Moreover, their pessimism and stress also impact their health. Due to their stress-prone personality and habitual emotional repression, they’re highly vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and even cancer.

So, whether you’re a loved one or a coworker, avoid triggering negative self-talk.

2. Accept the traditional methods

People with type c personalities feel comfortable only when they follow proven methods. They want everything under control, so they’re not open to taking risks.

They don’t like the idea of wasting time over experimentation, so they expect others to complete tasks in their devised way… which is usually the traditional method.

In professional, academic, and even personal life, people often go against a type C person’s plans and increase the chances of failure. Since type C fear failure, they also fear losing control over others’ decisions and the overall plan.

This is the very reason they push away others and their introverted nature kicks in. To deal with them easily, accept their plans without much resistance. 

Show them that you believe in their plan and that you won’t do anything without their knowledge. You can effectively deal with both their introversion and anxieties about failure.

3. Back modern methods with facts

C-types depend excessively on conventional methods in all areas of their life. They find it difficult to trust the new ones because of a lack of evidence or practical use.

However, not all modern plans and ideas are untrustworthy. Some of them are even more efficient than the traditional ones. So, help them be open to others’ ideas and expand their horizons.

When you propose a new idea, have some evidence to support it. If there’s nothing to prove your standpoint, at least prepare valid reasons to give it a shot. Convince them the way they like it. Never force them to accept ideas without proof.

If someone else comes up with a slightly different plan, don’t let them ignore it instantly. Rather, ask them to take time and investigate it themselves. If it’s also in your expertise, help them figure out the rationality of the idea.

4. Learn from them

People with C personality styles are so capable due to their attention to detail and high standards. They keep the big picture in mind and think about all the possible troubles they might face in the plan. 

Most people ignore their habits of rechecking and reassessing the plan. They call them paranoid and worrywarts to insult them. But that’s the very trait that helps them progress in life more than their peers.

They have keen eyes for loopholes which helps them mend those before they threaten their overall plan. They don’t even let any minor chances of trouble interfere with their plans.

So, when you’re around them, be open to their attention to detail. Don’t enter the mass that makes fun of them. Be wise and choose the right path for yourself. This will not only help you grow in your personal life but also make you one of their trustworthy ones.

5. Try to help them, even if they don’t ask

Individuals with type C personality traits never want to burden others. Even if they need help, they never want to disturb others. They prioritize others’ comfort over their own. This is due to their tendency of avoiding conflict because conflicts make them anxious.

However, many people take advantage of this trait and push their responsibilities on type C people. Since type Cs don’t want any conflicts, they silently accept it. It becomes too late when they realize that the other person is an opportunist.

Type Cs are also extremely intolerant towards people that take advantage of their kindness and vulnerabilities.

So, to avoid being mistaken as one of the opportunists, always extend your helping hand. Even if they say they’re fine, join forces and take care of all duties. This will reduce the chances of misunderstandings and they’ll also trust you more.

6. Remind them to visit their therapist regularly

Type Cs are stressed out a lot of time. They’re also emotionally repressed which makes them a tad bit more vulnerable to serious physical and mental health concerns.

Moreover, they don’t want to bother others, so even if they experience any signs or symptoms of physical, mental, or emotional discomfort, they won’t say it out loud. They prioritize others before them and this is another way to avoid agitating others.

If you want to deal with a type C person amiably, you must take care of their health. If you know a type C person in your personal or social life, tell them how they might hurt themselves and that it’d hurt you if they were sick.

If you know them in your professional life, remind them that they must maintain a healthy body and mind if they aim to perform consistently and not let others down.

7. Don’t try to control them

C-types also dislike being controlled against their wish. They have a particular way to do things. They want things to be under control. For instance, C-types delve deep into details to ensure their success. So, C-types feel comfortable only when they’re being bossed by someone with similar views.

If their professor, supervisor, or someone with authority doesn’t share similar thoughts like them… or, if they ask them to not research their topic as much as they usually do, they can’t work comfortably.

So, they aren’t ready to be controlled unless they know the other person’s ways or agree with them.

If you have a type C child, communicate about your discipline rules and what they think about it to ensure they don’t feel anxious.

If you’re a type C student’s professor or supervisor, take time to understand the way they do their tasks and ask them to change their way only if it’s necessary and with good reasons.

8. Take your time to earn their trust

Earning a type C’s trust is a major job. If you look closely at the steps mentioned till now, a lot of them help you build trust.

C-types can’t be comfortable with someone they don’t trust. They’re introverted and feel anxious about being judged. They can’t accept just anyone around them as a close one.

They might spend time with others and get along. But they won’t have real fun. No matter which area of life you meet a C-type individual, don’t skip the trust-earning steps.

They can’t open up that easily, so make them feel that you’re there and you won’t judge them despite the situation. Don’t hurry them into believing you because you’ll push them farther.

If they believe that you have their best interests in mind and your thought processes align, you can deal with them much better.

9. Never try to interrupt when they’re busy

When type Cs focus on their tasks and responsibilities, they dive deep into details, investigate a lot of info, and handle big data. They’re also extremely creative but they stay alert so their ideas don’t go out of hand. They ensure that their ideas are possible and grounded in reality.

For all of that, they must focus on their tasks. They can usually focus for long hours as their mind doesn’t wander about anywhere. However, the only issue is external stimuli.

They feel overwhelmed if their surroundings are distracting. So, don’t even make that mistake by mistake. They don’t appreciate disruptions when they’re focused.

Well, they might not treat you rudely in such situations. However, they won’t let you stay around you or they’ll stay away from you themselves to avoid disturbances.

Even if you mistakenly disturb them, apologize and move away from them.

10. Help them become more expressive

Type Cs are afraid of showing their true emotions. They feel that their emotions might hurt others or make them uncomfortable. They’re scared that people won’t approve of them once they express themselves and even leave them. This crippling fear makes a C-type person’s life extremely messy.

So, if you’re a loved one, keep asking them about their feelings when you get the hint. They WILL try to cover up their emotions… but you’ll know something’s off.

If you ask them, but they don’t answer you, use emotional cues like If you’ll be that way, then I’ll also stop expressing my feelings. This isn’t the best method… but it’ll get the job done!

But, if you know them in your professional or academic life, know they’ll avoid group situations as they don’t want to bother others. Urge them to express their opinions more often to help them get used to it.

11. Maintain healthy criticism

Type C people put a great amount of effort into their tasks. They investigate the validity of their opinions, gather facts and ensure they’re accurate, and even create backup plans for emergencies. So, they take great pride in their work.

But they’re also humans… and sometimes, they might commit mistakes. Often people take this chance to hurt the pride of a type C person. They insult their strict and controlled working style, reprimand them for not accepting new ideas, or even attack them for being introverted.

These actions will only make a C-type lose faith in the other person. So, deal with them effectively with healthy and constructive criticism.

Don’t attack them for the way they work unless it’s genuinely the reason. Mix some positive feedback along with criticism to avoid their anxiety attacks, negative self-talk, and pessimism. They’ll be more open to understanding your ideas and cooperating better.

12. Show them that it’s okay to take the lead/disagree

C-type individuals are scared of conflicts. They avoid it at all costs. In their personal and social life, when they’re out with others, they even avoid choosing the menu or the place they’d hang out. They often worry that the other person won’t like their choice and resent them.

So, when you spend time with them, plan the hang out alternatively. If this time, you choose everything, ask them to plan the next time.

Show them that even if you disagree, it won’t lead to resentments or misunderstandings. And even if it does, you can resolve them calmly. There’s no reason to feel anxious.

In their professional life, they also have trouble delegating tasks because they fear others will resent them or feel burdened. Ask them to face their fears and make them practice task delegation once in a while.

13. Tell them to relax!

C-types depend on facts, data, and evidence to build solid tasks and plans. However, they’re overly dependent on it. But resources for everything might not be available.

So, if they can’t collect these facts due to such reasons, they might be unable to confidently deliver their ideas. It might hurt their confidence and even stress them to the point of falling sick.

That’s why you must motivate them to overcome this setback. Convince them that even if they don’t have all the facts, they can still win over others. Remind them that they don’t need to prove everything because certain things are universal facts.

Help them calm down with breathing exercises and meditation. During such moments, talk positively and motivate them.

14. Avoid cluttering

Just as C-types want everything under control, they also expect their space to be clean and organized… whether it’s their house, workplace, room, or even their bag.

This is usually because they’re afraid they won’t find important things at crucial points. They might even start organizing their space instead of working because that’s the level of anxiety they feel around clutter.

So, if you have a type C coworker, try to arrange the file papers in an orderly fashion to help them save some time. If you want anything from their cubicle, don’t mess with the order of files. If you have an open office layout and you sit adjacent to a C-type, tidy your space.

But if you visit a C-type’s home, don’t touch anything without their notice. Even if you do, make sure you put it back in its place. Or, they won’t allow you in their home again.

15. Help them set and maintain boundaries

C-types also can’t refuse others’ requests. They don’t want to let others down. They feel obliged to accept everything others ask them as they don’t want to make them sad or burden them. They take any responsibilities on themselves. Many people take advantage of type Cs due to this weakness.

If you see a type C person in a similar situation, ask them to refuse the requests. Take them away from the other person, and ask them if they’re truly comfortable with the request. Help them realize their people-pleasing tendencies.

Tell them to stand their ground when they’re uncomfortable. Remind them that if the other person has good intentions, they’ll understand. But if they’re an opportunist, they’ll react. Support them in setting and maintaining boundaries and save them from being a pushover.

A word from ThePleasantPersonality

Type C people don’t open up easily. So, initially, it might be hard to convey your intentions. Or, they might understand your intentions, yet feel uncertain so they may not respond immediately… that’s bound to make you feel awkward.

But, follow the tips diligently, make sure you don’t come across as rude to them, don’t make fun of a particular trait, and you’re good to go!

They’ll understand you and you’ll receive a positive response eventually… so, have patience and let them open up to you.

Article Sources

1. https://www.thomas.co/resources/type/hr-blog/type-c-personality
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/type-c-personality
3. https://www.hiresuccess.com/help/understanding-the-4-personality-types